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Getting Even

Woody Allen's early comic fiction was heavily influenced by the zany, pun-ridden humor of S.J. Perelman. And now, for the first time, Woody Allen narrates one of his early collections of short stories, Getting Even. Listen to Woody Allen revenge himself on such significant subjects as death, obesity, organized crime, the invention of the sandwich, and much more.

Without Feathers

Now in audio for the first time, Without Feathers is narrated by Woody Allen himself. Here they are: 16 of the funniest tales and ruminations ever recorded, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From "The Whore of Mensa", to "Fabulous Tales & Mythical Beasts", to "No Kaddish for Weinstein", old and new Allen fans will laugh themselves silly over these sparkling gems.

If one George Carlin audio is funny, then two are funnier and three must be funniest, right? That's our thinking behind this new collection. t's a HighBridge library of laugh-out-loud, award-winning recordings featuring George himself performing many of his best bits.

Mere Anarchy

For the first time ever, hear Woody Allen’s Mere Anarchy in the author’s own distinctive and hilarious voice. Here, in his first short-story collection since his three classics Getting Even, Without Feathers, and Side Effects, Allen has managed to write a book that answers the most profound questions of human existence.

Lolita

Why we think it’s a great listen: Among the great literary achievements of the 20th century, Lolita soars in audio thanks to the incomparable Jeremy Irons, bringing to life Nabokov’s ability to shock and enthrall more than 50 years after publication. Lolita became a cause celebre because of the erotic predilections of its protagonist. But Nabokov's masterpiece owes its stature not to the controversy its material aroused but to its author's use of that material to tell a love story that is shocking in its beauty and tenderness.

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity

In Catching the Big Fish, internationally acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch provides a rare window into his methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation. Lynch describes the experience of "diving within" and "catching" ideas like fish and then preparing them for television or movie screens, and other mediums in which he works, such as painting, music, and design.

Michael says:"Go Fish"

Publisher's Summary

Now, available in audio for the first time, Side Effects is narrated by Woody Allen himself. A humor classic by one of the world’s funniest writers, Side Effects is a treat for Allen fans and those just discovering how gifted he is. In classics including "Remembering Needleman", "The Kugelmass Episode", "Confessions of a Burglar", and others, Allen discusses such subjects as the nature of relativity, the UFO menace, and the predicament of modern man. Side Effects compiles 17 of Allen’s best New Yorker essays and offers wisdom and laughs in equal measure: "Ah, God, how the mind boggles when it turns to moral or ethical considerations. Better not to think too much. Rely more on the body - the body is more dependable. It shows up for meetings, it looks good in a sports jacket, and where it really comes in handy is when you want to get a rubdown."

Woody Allen’s short story collections Side Effects, Getting Even, Without Feathers, and Mere Anarchy are available separately or together as part of The Woody Allen Collection.

What the Critics Say

"Throughout my life, literally thousands of people have made me feel inadequate, but none more so than Woody Allen." (Larry David, Producer, Writer, Actor)"Woody Allen brought modern comedy to the cinema screen." (Ricky Gervais)

This is a writers short story masterpiece. Yes I'm a WA fan. But if you like the art of short story writing and intelligent comedy you cannot go wrong with this purchase. If you ARE a WOODY ALLEN fan well, you'll feel right at home almost instantly.

My main problem was the narrator Woody Allen who is also the author. He did not pause enough. When I was having a laugh or thoughtful reaction, he sped onto the next item. That was frustrating. Several times I had to stop the tape so I could savor the humor and not quickly forget it. If he were standing before an audience he’d stop for the laughs.

I listened to this as an audio-book which was a little strange because Woody Allen is such a talker it feels like he's actually there. I kept visualizing us as some stranger-than-fiction couple living together in a small apartment: He's occasionally brushing his teeth in the bathroom while talking, he's chopping liver in the main room while talking, he's sleeping with the neighbor on the sofa while talking, and at some point I'm fantasizing about strangling him while he's still talking and I'm wearing black nylon stockings and he's saying things like "oh, stop it, you're starting to look like Niedelman's gorgeous wife Miss Vazanrakoff" and in the middle of the scene come our little fat kids named Weissmendoodle and Brazaravatski and start laughing hysterically.<br/><br/>Woody is humorous and often out of control with his words, puns and imagination, but sometimes he has too much fun with himself and appears to be too excited about his own jokes, like he wants to stop and say "can you see how funny this is?" and roar for "more! more!" while sitting alone in the front row. I have to say that some chapters were more fun than others. Some did make me laugh out loud, while others made me want to strangle him, or let our imaginary kids Weissmendoodle and Brazaravatski take care of it.

While I was somewhat disillusioned by the others in the recently-released set by Woody Allen, this book stands out as the most coherent and consistent of the lot. All are expertly narrated by Woody Allen and his fantastic chocolatey voice, but while some wander confusedly, this book (written in comparitively later years) shows how his craft has matured. There were a good number of laugh-out-loud moments, and only a few "What the...?" moments. This book was the turning point where I was glad that I purchased the set.